Dinner For Three
by Zeng Li
Summary: Whether Xamot likes it or not, Tomax takes Lady Jaye out for dinner. The one brother stays behind as an outlet for that which the other can not display in front of his guest.


_Dinner For Three  
by: Zeng Li_

"Are you sure you want to do this, brother?" Xamot asked, straightening Tomax's yellow tie for him.

"Yes," said the other twin. "When I say I'll buy a lady a drink, I mean it."

Xamot shook his head, dismissing the whole idea of his brother's. It was one of the rare points they disagreed on. "We say a lot of things in this business that we don't mean."

"That's in our business. Socially and personally, things are different. You're welcome to come too, you know."

Xamot waved him off before he even finished speaking. "She's your little hobby. Just don't cause any trouble."

Tomax smirked. "I know. And you'll be…"

"…close by just in case," they finished in unison.

"Ciao!" Tomax walked out the office alone. A few hours prior, he'd been engaged in hand-to-hand combat with members of G.I. Joe as they thwarted another of Cobra Commander's petty schemes. His body harbored a few lingering pains, all of which were caused by the woman he planned on meeting up with this evening. As long as she trusted him enough to show up, that is. He had confidence that she would as he walked a block down from the office to an exclusive Italian restaurant.

The maitre d' greeted him as he often did. "Buona sera, Signore Tomax. You and a guest tonight, eh?" he said.

"Yes. Your finest wine, too, if you could. My dinner date tonight is a most rare find."

"Absolutely Signore Tomax. She is already here. Allow me to take you to your table."

Tomax grabbed the maitre d' by the elbow before he took a step. "Don't be surprised if there are G.I. Joes incognito here as well. Though I don't expect any trouble."

In a hushed voice, the head waiter assured his "best" client, "There are six Crimson Guards about too, myself included. They will pretend to only know you casually."

Tomax nodded and allowed his secret colleague to escort him to the table where his dinner date was already seated. "Good evening, Lady Jaye," he said, sitting opposite her at the small rectangular table. He absently straightened his tie.

"I really expected you to come with your brother. Glad I didn't bet on it," she said, all the while playing the charmed guest.

Tomax laughed softly. "Xamot and I don't do everything together. I would also suspect he's not as much your type."

"Not my type?" Lady Jaye paused while the maitre d' returned to pour them each glasses of wine. "You mean to say Xamot isn't the carbon copy of you that he seems on the outside?"

Tomax smiled politely. "Hardly." He changed the topic abruptly. "I must say, you look very lovely tonight. And I mean that, Lady Jaye. Can I call you that, or is there another name I may refer to you by?"

The woman turned her head and chuckled in a way that told him not a chance. "As I'm sure 'Tomax' is your real name, too."

"Touché, my dear," said the Crimson Guard Commander, raising his wine glass. "To infernal secrets…the one thing we probably have in common." They clinked glasses and shared the taste of exquisite red wine.

Lady Jaye put her glass down, shaking her head with a smile, long diamond earrings twinkling in the subdued ambiance of the restaurant. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she laughed to herself. "What ever possessed you to ask me out anyway?"

Tomax shrugged and softly cleared his throat. "Any woman brave enough to stand up to us…and defeat us on her own in battle…is a worthy adversary."

"Really…" Lady Jaye smiled, a little smug for show.

"Yes. And, any woman from opposing sides who accepts a dinner invitation is brave indeed. Ah, but don't fear…this is a social event, devoid of any bearing on what goes on between G.I. Joe and clients my brother and I are associated with."

"Which is why I'm sure half the waiters in this place are Crimson Guards, and I'm sure Xamot is lurking in the shadows as well," the Joe said with a pleasant but knowing smile.

Tomax just chuckled and reached across the table to touch her hand. "My brother was not interested in showing tonight. There is one difference between him and myself, you know."

Lady Jaye allowed him to gently touch her hand. She didn't flinch, and there was no nervous energy about her. It went well beyond her confidence from training in the elite forces of G.I. Joe. "You mean aside from the scar?"

"Yes," Tomax replied, taking her hand lightly in between both of his, holding it up in the flickering candle light so their elbows rested on the table. "Would it disappoint you if I said that Xamot doesn't love you?"

Blushing, Lady Jaye smiled and shook her head to avert her gaze away from him. She knew clearly what he'd just said by what he didn't say. "No, it wouldn't disappoint me," she said.

Tomax let her hand go, coyly sitting back and turning his head to one side, eyes still directed across the table to the lovely woman and a soft smile on his lips. "He has the right idea, you know. It's really no secret that you are involved with…"

"Tomax…!" she cut him off softly but firmly, her tone slightly reproachful. "It's all right."

The Cobra agent nodded. "It means a lot to me that you have come tonight." He sighed. "Although, it's certain that I will be the one to leave here tonight with a broken heart."

Lady Jaye slid her hand across the table in his direction, palm up as if looking for another. Tomax lightly touched his fingers to hers, and she gently folded her soft grip around them. "You're a brave man to say these things. It makes me feel like I'm only good at hurting you, on the battlefield and off."

"Never fear…" Tomax lifted his free hand and pat his collarbone over a particularly painful bruise she caused him earlier in the day. "My injuries will heal."

There was an energy about him that seemed to want to say more, but it was a feeling felt by them both even in the absence of words.

Tomax lifted her slender hand, kissing the back of it lightly, inhaling softly to take in the light scent of her perfume. Her hand was relaxed and trusting in his. He closed his eyes, taking in the radiating feelings that were otherwise invisible to all. He had so much to say, but it would hurt less to say nothing at all. He would still go home later that evening to the feeling of aloneness he always felt even in the presence of his twin brother.

"Thank you for coming this evening, my dear Lady Jaye," he said. "You've helped cure the one wound that could otherwise never heal itself."

Their delightful evening rolled along like the gibbous moon's light gliding gracefully across the smoothly flowing tide. In a dark penthouse office across the street, Xamot laid across the length of a sofa, weeping quietly so the tears and pain of a broken heart would not show themselves on his brother's face.

THE END

Written by "Zeng Li", © 2008 using characters from G.I. Joe owned by entities such as Sunbow, Hasbro, and what ever other corporate hands are in the pot. Characters used with gratitude to their creator, but without permission. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and no money is made off of its existence. ("turkwithglasses" is the LJ writing journal of "Zeng Li".)


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